MANILA, Philippines - The University of the Philippines (UP) System officially announced on Thursday, June 15, the schedule, application period and deadline of filing for UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the incoming Freshmen of Academic Year AY 2018-2019.

The 2018 UPCAT will be administered on October 21 and 22 (Saturday and Sunday) in at least 9 test locations/campuses nationwide.

You may apply as a freshman to UP through the UPCAT for SY 2018-2019 if you are a secondary school graduate OR you are a senior high school student expecting to graduate in 2018. In addition, you must not have taken the UPCAT and any college courses.

Standardized UPCAT scores are combined with the weighted average of 3 years of high school final grades to determine the UP admission grade. To implement the policy of demographic access, the selection of campus qualifiers also considers socioeconomic and geographic factors.

All UPCAT applicants are ranked based on their UP admission grades, then screened based on their choice of campuses. The top-ranking applicants per campus will qualify based on the campus quota and cut-off grade. If you do not qualify for your first choice, you are automatically screened for your second choice of campus.

Admission Requirements

Senior high school student expecting to graduate before SY 2018 from a DepEd-accredited high school or a secondary school abroad; OR

Graduate of a DepEd- accredited high school or secondary school abroad; OR

PEPT Certified Eligible for admission to college; AND

With final grades for three (3) high school years preceding the year of graduation; AND

Must not have taken any college subject/s prior to taking the UPCAT; AND

Must not have taken the UPCAT previously.

Category of Applicant

Required Documents

All applicants

Four recent 2X2 identical photographs

Proof of payment of UPCAT application fee

Completed UPCAT Forms 1 and 2

IF High school graduate

High school diploma

IF Graduating in 2017 from a HS with a DepEd approved K+12 transition program (i.e. SHS Early Adopter)

DepEd Certificate of Approval or Permit to Operate transition program

IF Philippine Education Placement Test (PEPT) taker

PEPT Certificate of Eligibility to Enter College and PEPT grades

IF Transferee (i.e. has taken subjects from another high school)

Signed and certified legible photocopy of the Permanent Secondary School Record (F137) from other school with all the grades earned within

IF Exempted from payment of application fee:

Annual gross family income is PhP130,000 or less; OR

ITRs of earning family members or BIR Certificate of Exemption

A Top Ten graduate/prospective graduate of a public high school

Certified Ranked overall list of the school's TOP TEN students across all programs and/or campuses

Iskolar ng Bayan Program

Filipino graduates from the Top Ten of the graduating classes of public high schools may apply for freshman automatic admission (i.e. without having to take the UPCAT) for SY 2017-2018. This is provided by a transitory provision of RA 10648, the Iskolar ng Bayan Law of 2014. If you qualify for admission in UP under the Iskolar ng Bayan program, you are entitled to free tuition and other school fees for the first year of college. There are limited slots per campus for the Iskolar ng Bayan Program.

Application forms for the Iskolar ng Bayan program may be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) or Office of Scholarships and Student Services (OSSS) of the CU where they wish to enroll in. All eligible applicants must indicate their campus and degree program of choice. Applicants who prefer a campus outside their region do not qualify for automatic admission under the Iskolar ng Bayan program and will have to take the UPCAT for admission.

Taking the UPCAT

Go to your designated Test Center on the date specified in your Test Permit: OCTOBER 21 or 22, 2017. Be there by 7:00am.

The use of cellphones, calculating devices, and/or cameras during the test is strictly prohibited and will be a cause for immediate rejection of application for admission to UP.

UPCAT Results

Announcement of UPCAT 2018 results are expected between February to March 2018. A list of UP Qualifiers from your school will be sent to your principal. Individual notices will also be sent to all examinees.

If you qualify for admission to UP, register according to the instructions provided by the college or unit to which you have been accepted.UPDATES

For more details of the upcoming UPCAT, visit the official website at http://upcat.up.edu.ph/. Once UPCAT 2018 page is available online, this post will be updated for the important updates.

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